1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making a thin-film magnetic head using a magnetoresistive device, a method of making a magnetoresistive device assembly, a method of making a head gimbal assembly, a method of making a hard disk drive, and a magnetoresistive device assembly.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, as the areal density in hard disk drive (HDD) improves, thin-filmmagnetic heads playing an important role in recording and reproducing magnetic information have been required to improve their performances. As a thin-film magnetic head, a combination thin-filmmagnetic head in which a reproducing head having a magnetoresistive (MR) device and a recording head having an induction type magnetoresistive device are stacked together has recently become mainstream in place of those using an induction type magnetoresistive device for both recording and reproducing. Known as MR devices are AMR (Anisotropy Magneto Resistive) devices utilizing anisotropic magnetoresistive effect, GMR (Giant Magneto Resistive) devices utilizing giant magnetoresistive effect, TMR (Tunnel-type Magneto Resistive) devices, etc.
An example of requirements for reproducing heads is to make MR films have a very narrow track width in order to improve their reading performance. A narrow track width in MR films makes it possible to reproduce magnetic information in a hard disk having a high areal density. To respond to such a requirement, high-precision fine processing must be realized. Therefore, attempts have been made to utilize electron beam lithography capable of drawing with a precision higher than that in photolithography which had often been used in the making of thin-film magnetic heads. Electron beam lithography can make fine pattern forms, since it utilizes electron beams having a wavelength shorter than that of light.